Yes, the Pioneers may have Casey Bauman, but they also have a group of receivers that have made things easy for him!
Baylor Galley – Junior – Galley possesses great speed and shiftiness, and he’s been a big-play threat, catching four passes for 131 yards (32.8 average) and a touchdown.
Kyle Veldman – Senior – At six feet tall and 215 pounds, Veldman is build more like a full back. But his soft hands and immaculate routes have enabled him to close in on 100 catches for his career.
Austin O’Bryan – Junior – Maybe the fastest of the four, O’Bryan is a threat out wide, or out of the backfield. He’s also the backup quarterback.
Jordan Veening – Senior – He stands 6 feet, 6 inches. What a luxury to have at the goal line! He leeds the Pioneers with nine catches, three of them resulting in touchdowns.
POINTS PER GAME: 35.9 – POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 17.5
POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +18.4
GAME BY GAME:
Week 1: Nooksack Valley 13, Mount Baker 10
Week 2: Sedro Woolley 16, Nooksack Valley 12
Week 3: Nooksack Valley 55, Concrete 6
Week 4: Nooksack Valley 49, Friday Harbor 7
Week 5: Nooksack Valley 55, Lynden Christian 30
Week 6: Nooksack Valley 23, Meridian 20 (OT)
Week 7: Nooksack Valley 52, Friday Harbor 0
Week 8: Nooksack Valley 45, Lynden Christian 14
Week 9: Meridian 26, Nooksack Valley 22
Week 10: Nooksack Valley 19, Lynden Christian 0
State Play-In Game: Nooksack Valley 42, Vashon Island 20
State Playoffs: 1st Round: Nooksack Valley 49, Battle Ground 21
State Quarterfinals: Nooksack Valley 54, King’s 47
State Semifinals: Cascade Christian 28, Nooksack Valley 12
It was one of the best teams in school history, with a great regular season and an unbelievable post season, the 2009 Pioneers will be a team that the residents of Everson, Nooksack and Sumas will be talking about for a while.
Tyler Perry
Junior quarterback Tyler Perry had one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory. He is still the only player in Whatcom County history to pass for over 2000 yards and rush for over 1000 yards in the same season, which he did in 2009. He completed 163 passes for 2037 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 1098 yards (5.6 average) and 20 touchdowns, and he was named All-League 2nd Team.
Nick deGrasse
Senior running back Nick DeGrasse was named All-League 1st Team for the second year in a row. He ran for 1125 yards (7.0) and 14 touchdowns, including a 37-carry, 239-yard, 4-touchdown performance against King’s in one of the biggest comeback wins in Washington State Playoff history.
Anthony Reese
Perry used many receivers in the Pioneer spread offense, but none more than senior Anthony Reese. Reese had rare athleticism, and finished with 58 catches for 914 yards (15.8) and 10 touchdowns, and he was named both All-League 1st Team and All-State 1st Team. 6-foot-4 junior Kyle Handy provided a large catch radius for Perry, and he had 38 receptions for 500 yards (13.2) and a touchdown. DeGrasse caught 15 passes for 250 yards (16.7) and two scores. Sophomore Trevon Myhre caught 17 passes for 205 yards (12.1) and two touchdowns, while rushing for 200 yards (4.5) and three touchdowns.
Jessie Salmonson
Seniors Jon Charroin and Jessie Salmonson were the leaders of the offensive line. Both were named All-League 1st Team, and were able to form the wall that protected the high-octane Pioneer offense. Sophomore B.J. Salmoson provided rare size and strength, and was named All-League 2nd Team, along with senior Devin Dykes. A rare occurrence, the offense totaled over 5000 yards and 60 touchdowns!
Jon Charroin
The Salmonson boys headed up the defensive line, with Jessie being named All-League 1st Team, and B.J. was All-League Honorable Mention. Dykes was also named All-League 1st Team up front, and fellow senior Josh Larson was an All-League 2nd Team selection. Charroin was moved from defensive end to linebacker, and had another spectacular season. He was in on 143 tackles, and had six fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles and three sacks. He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, and was All-State 1st Team. Senior Levi Stuit was stout at linebacker, and was named All-League 1st Team. Perry was named All-League 1st Team at defensive back for the second year in a row, and Reese was named All-League 2nd Team in the secondary.
BJ Salmonson
Senior Travis Benner made 35 extra points and one field goal. DeGrasse and Reese had huge years returning kickoffs and punts, respectively.
CLASSIFICATION: A – PLAYOFFS: Lost Mini Play-in Game
Scoring Stats “Per Game”
Points: 22.1 – Allowed: 7.0 – Differential: +15.1
GAME BY GAME:
Week 1: Nooksack Valley 27, Lynden Christian 0
Week 2: Nooksack Valley 47, Blaine 8
Week 3: Nooksack Valley 13, Mount Baker 0
Week 4: Meridian 13, Nooksack Valley 7
Week 5: Nooksack Valley 16, Lynden 10
Week 6: Nooksack Valley 22, Lynden Christian 6
Week 7: Nooksack Valley 22, Blaine 12
Week 8: Nooksack Valley 19, Mount Baker 0
Week 9: Nooksack Valley 26, Meridian 14
Mini-Playoff Play-in Game: Lynden 14, Nooksack Valley 0
If it wasn’t for a week four loss against Meridian, it may have been the Nooksack Valley Pioneers playing in the 1980 King Bowl. Instead, the Lynden Lions won the state championship, with their only loss coming to the Pioneers. The talent was there, but the playoffs weren’t, as Nooksack Valley would lose a mini-playoff game to Lynden.
Senior Randy Mitchell started at quarterback for the second straight season, and he had a great one! He completed 80 passes for 1069 yards and eight touchdowns. The 6-foot-3 185-pounder was also named All-League 1st Team.
Chuck Handy
Chuck Handy was the main offensive weapon for the Pioneers in 1980. In fact, he was the main offensive weapon of the Whatcom County League, and was named the League’s Offensive Player of the Year. The 5-foot-9 155-pound senior ran for 565 yards (6.9 average) and eight touchdowns, while catching 24 passes for 343 yards (14.3) and two scores. Junior Jim Van Diest ran hard between the tackles, totaling 379 yards on the ground (4.6) and three scores. Senior Jim Harmon added 146 yards rushing (3.7) and three touchdowns.
Allen Vinkes
6-foot-4 senior Allen Vinkes provided a huge target for Mitchell on the outside, catching 23 passes for 309 yards (13.4) and four touchdowns, and would be named All-League 1st Team at wide receiver. Junior Jay Schweigert showed his top-notch athleticism with 20 receptions for 220 yards (11.0) and two scores. He would be named All-League 2nd Team. Sophomore Glen Leenders showed off his skills, catching eight passes for 132 yards (16.5).
Jay Schweigert
The Pioneers’ explosive offense ran behind a strong offensive line. It began with senior center, Jeff Todahl. The 6-foot-1 185-pounder was named All-League 1st Team. He teamed with fellow senior, Bill Edwards (5-7 155), who was named All-League 2nd Team.
The Nooksack Valley defense recorded three shutouts in 1980, and only gave up seven points per game. Massive senior Lyle Olesen (6-2 205), along with Vinkes, led the attack up front. Vinkes was named All-League 1st Team, with Olesen nabbing 2nd Team honors. The back half of the defense was led by Handy, who was not only named All-League 1st Team, but was also All-State 1st Team. Schweigert also played well in the secondary, and was named All-League 2nd Team.
Vinkes kicked 12 extra points and a field goal, and he was named All-League 2nd Team. Olesen also kicked two extra points. Handy returned three punts for touchdowns, proving he was a threat any time he touched the football.
